


Bad Days

by JosephThropp



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Autism, Autistic Mao Mao, Family Issues, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Breakdown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22047304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JosephThropp/pseuds/JosephThropp
Summary: Mao Mao often has bad days. Days where things just feel like too much. Dealing with them is hard, and almost always leads to him losing his grip on things. But there's someone in his life that's an ever-present solution to his strife.
Relationships: Badgerclops/Mao Mao Mao
Comments: 2
Kudos: 102





	Bad Days

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story is based on some art by Nix over on Twitter! You should absolutely follow them and check out the two tweets that inspired this story if you love some good good Mao Mao content!
> 
> https://twitter.com/gaybadgerncat  
> https://twitter.com/gaybadgerncat/status/1203410463217868801  
> https://twitter.com/gaybadgerncat/status/1203410488983511042

Looking back on that morning, Mao Mao couldn’t really pin-point where things had started to spiral. It had just been a relatively slight argument, but now he was curled up on his bunk and in the middle of a breakdown while Badgerclops struggled to calm him down. Trying to think back was difficult in this headspace, even such a short time. Things were so scrambled and he felt so frayed.

* * *

It had definitely started in the morning, at breakfast. Mao Mao had already felt off when he woke up. A bad day. He didn’t have them as often anymore, but they still happened every now and again. Days where he just woke up feeling off, and couldn’t bounce back from that feeling no matter what he did.

His childhood had trained him to conceal the feeling well. Well enough that even Badgerclops couldn’t tell right away. Mao Mao had convinced himself that he could craft a convincing enough facade to appear as even as ever. He used to think that if he could just make his family believe that he was never losing control, that maybe it would eventually be true. That he’d stop having these moments where he lost his grip on things. Then he’d get better at training, and meditation, and everything else he wanted to do. Then he’d be as good as his sisters, and his father would recognize that.

It was a naive thought, but hey. He was a child, then. He still had a lot more faith in his family back then.

Nowadays, it was a little easier for Mao Mao to open about about things as opposed to bottling them up. Not always especially likely to happen, but certainly easier, at least. That was largely due to Badgerclops’s influence, of course. Weekly sessions with Blue helped too. Of course, Mao Mao still had to put in the work if he wanted to take advantage of the tools he was given. Without a conscious effort, he was just as likely to fall back into old habits.

Like he had this morning.

* * *

“Badgerclops, stop that. I can see you taking my food.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, Mao.” The knowing smile across the badger’s face as he threw the piece of diced potatoes into his mouth belied his claim. In spite of whatever he had to say, it was obvious he knew full well what he was doing. Mao Mao only gave an exasperated huff in response as he stabbed his fork into another piece of his food, in no mood to put up with any amount of shenanigans today.

Another few moments passed in merciful silence as Mao Mao continued digging into his breakfast, only to be interrupted shortly after. The cat’s ears perked up at the sound of a soft mechanical whirring, his eyes darting up in response to glare daggers at his partner from across the table. “I think you need a break, dude. You’re imagining things.” Even with only a single closed eye, Badgerclops had a penchant for pulling the smuggest of expressions. A talent that Mao Mao was frequently resentful off.

“I’m not imagining things. I can see you trying to be sneaky, you can’t get anything over on me!”

“I dunno, man. I can be pretty stealthy. Swift as the wind, y’know?”

A sharp retort on the tip of his tongue was cut off as Mao Mao felt some air whip past him, accompanied by the mechanical whirring again. He looked down and up, just in time to see another piece of potato get swiped from his plate and brought to Badgerclops’s mouth. Watching him chew even more of the food he’d swiped from Mao Mao’s plate infuriated the cat more than it probably should have. He stood from his seat, growling as he leaned across the table to point an accusatory finger in Badgerclops’s direction.

“Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!” The last repetition was accompanied by Mao Mao’s other fist colliding with the table, jostling the plates and utensils. A voice in the back of his mind was already reminding him to breathe through the frustration, but the breaths kept coming too quickly. Shallow gulps of air hissed through his nostrils and clenched teeth. It didn’t help that Badgerclops only continued to smile away, looking like the cat who had caught the canary. Too damn satisfied looking for Mao Mao to feel like he could come anywhere close to calming down.

“Heh heh! Hey, Adorabat! What’s the magic word? I forget what it is.” Giddy chuckles were woven into Badgerclops’s voice as he called over to the bat on the couch, who had made herself very busy with a ball of yarn that her wings were severely tangled up in. She hopped up onto the back of the couch, too tied up in red yarn to do any flying. 

“IT’S PLEASE! I use it to get what I want!”

“Adorabat, stay out of this!” Mao Mao turned quickly, so quickly he ended up wrapped up in his own cape. He fiddled with the fabric, only to go still when he heard the clinking of his plate from behind him. He whirled back around to face the table again, only to find Badgerclops chewing away with that same satisfied grin.

“Sorry, dude. You didn’t use the magic word. Without that, I have full and unbridled access to even more of your plate.” Badgerclops didn’t even bother to finish chewing his food before taunting Mao Mao. His robotic arm extended once again, making its way across the table towards Mao Mao’s unguarded plate. “Shoulda’ remembered to mind your manners!”

Watching Badgerclops’s claws hone in on his plate, Mao Mao felt himself moving faster than he could react. He was on top of the table in a flash, smacking away Badgerclops’s hand, and sending his plate to the ground below. The plate shattered, a faraway sound that Mao Mao hardly registered.

He’d said no! He’d said it! He’d said it three times! Why was Badgerclops still doing it? Why wasn’t he listening?!

“Woah, dude! What the heck?!” Badgerclops’s eye shot open as he stood from his chair rushing to the mess Mao Mao had made on the floor. He was quick to start transferring food from the ground to the table, working with surprising haste. “This food would’ve been wasted if not for my low standards! Are you crazy?”

With a few seconds to reflect on what he’d done, Mao Mao finally got a sense of what he’d done. His breathing slowed as he looked down at the broken plate, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious of what he’d done. He mumbled a few broken apologies as he stumbled down off the table and onto the floor. This wasn’t what he meant to do. Badgerclops just kept stealing from him, he just wanted him to stop!

“Y-you kept taking my food! You weren’t listening! It’s not my FAULT!” The volume of his voice rose with each sentence, culminating in a shout on the last word. His deep voice echoed in the small house, reminding him of how much he’d really rose his voice. Green eyes widened as he looked around the room, moving from one side of him to another. Adorabat stared at him from the couch with a touch of fearful apprehension in her eyes, while Badgerclops looked chastened after his playful ribbing.

The two sets of eyes on him were too much. Mao Mao mumbled a few more inaudible words as he stepped back, head suddenly reeling with too many loud thoughts. 

Were his eyes blurry with tears? 

Was the heat on his face a blush? 

It was too much. All too much. Couldn’t take it. Had to get away from it all.

The sound of a strangled sob finally broke the silence as Mao Mao finally dashed away from the room, making a beeline for the bedroom. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Adorabat and Badgerclops to stare at the door with concern.

Adorabat was the first to react, hopping off the couch and hobbling over towards Badgerclops, trailing yarn behind her all the while. She plopped down onto the floor beside him, looking up at him with tearful eyes.

“Is Mao Mao having one of his bad days?”

Ugh, of course he was. Badgerclops felt stupid for not realizing it earlier. He should’ve realized it as soon as Mao Mao hit the table. He was usually so good at telling when his boyfriend was having a tough time, how did he miss it this morning? This could’ve been avoided with just a little more attentiveness. A heavy sigh left the badger as he placed a hand on Adorabat’s head, offering her some comfort.

“Yeah. It’s my bad, though. I should know when to not push his buttons.”

“Oh.” Adorabat’s expression didn’t lighten much, though she at least seemed to look a little less worried. She understood what Mao Mao’s bad days were, and that they weren’t her fault. They were hard to deal with, and never any fun, but at least they always passed after a little while. Then they could have adventures and train again.

Another moment passed in silence before Adorabat perked up, smile returning as an idea struck her. Last time Mao Mao had a bad day, she found a great way to cheer him up! “Ooh, ooh, ooh! Should I make him another card? He really liked the last one I made him!”

The little bat’s emotional turn was sudden, but certainly infectious. Badgerclops couldn’t help but smile in return, chuckling a little bit. That was a perfect idea. Adorabat’s art was so ugly you couldn’t help but love it. A card full of that would be hilarious, and hit Mao Mao in his sentimentality. It was perfect.

“Heck yeah, go make him a card so good he cries like a baby.” Badgerclops morphed his robotic arm into a large pair of shears, slicing at the yarn Adorabat was bound in with surprising adeptness. The red threads fell away, much to her delight.

“Yaaaaaay!” The bat sprung up at the approval, doing a twirl on her peg leg. She moved to dash to her art supplies, but stopped before taking off. She returned to Badgerclops’s side, gesturing to the mess on the floor. “Can I play with the sharp pieces of the plate?”

The hysterical laugh Badgerclops gave was far from affirming. The bat frowned as Badgerclops’s arm morphed again, this time into a vacuum cleaner. 

“Not in a million years. Now scoot.” He gave Adorabart a small push as he began to clean up the broken plate, sucking up the pieces into his arm. Luckily, this was the easy part. Fixing the other thing he’d messed up might prove a little harder.

* * *

The sound of the door opening behind him roused Mao Mao from his own head, for however briefly. He sat up from his fetal position just long enough to see Badgerclops standing in the doorway, only to curl up against the wall again. No. No, no, no. He wanted to, but it was still too much. It still felt too loud. He wanted to feel better before he tried to talk to Badgerclops, and he wasn’t better enough yet.

He knew Badgerclops would try anyway, though. He always did.

“Hey, Mao.” The badger’s voice was quiet and even as he slowly walked up to Mao Mao on his bunk. He was carrying a plush, one that Mao Mao usually needed in times like this. Sometimes he preferred Geraldine instead, but Badgerclops thought the plush felt a little more appropriate for the current situation. “Listen, I’m sorry about before. If I-”

“No!” Mao Mao’s fur bristled and his body jumped as he felt Badgerclops’s hand against his back, even as it was quickly pulled away. “No! No!” Not ready. “No!” Too soon. “No!” Everything still feels like too much.

Badgerclops couldn’t do much but frown as he watched Mao Mao pull himself even further into his cape, if it was even possible. The red fabric was pulled taut as it surrounded the cat on all sides. He’d told Badgerclops before that it was kind of like a safety thing. The feeling that he was surrounded and safe on all sides, like nothing could get to him. It was just a confirmation to Badgerclops that’d he’d be here a while, though. That was fine, though. He preferred it this way. Being there for Mao Mao as soon as he was ready, instead of making Mao Mao come find him later on.

Time to settle in.

Badgerclops placed the plush on the bed beside Mao Mao’s rocking form, just close enough to be in reach without getting in his way. Badgerclops settled on the floor by the bed, taking some small satisfaction that Mao Mao’s repeated “no’s” had stopped. He’d moved onto humming, the deep kind that vibrated deep in his chest. Mao Mao didn’t purr, but he was still a cat, and the vibrations inside him seemed to do him some good.

Sometimes Badgerclops wondered just what the song that Mao Mao hummed really was. Or if it was really a song at all. It sounded like it was the same song every time, but it wasn’t anything Badgerclops had ever heard before. It certainly wasn’t melodic by any stretch of the word. It was almost a stagnant noise, if not for the occasional shift in tone. It wasn’t like it mattered much what kind of song it was anyway. As long as it made Mao Mao feel better, Badgerclops was happy to hear it.

Badgerclops took a deep sigh in through his nose, holding it for a moment before letting it out through his mouth quietly. He looked over at Mao Mao, nothing that he’d picked up the plush at some point. It was now clutched tightly to his chest, barely visible inside of Mao Mao’s cape. The cat’s rocking continued, forward and back, parallel to the wall.

Welp, nothing left to do but wait it out.

“Badgerclops?”

The sound was so quiet that Badgerclops almost hadn’t noticed it. He’d started to space out a little there, sitting and staring at the floorboards. Mao Mao’s humming had faded into the background though, and Badgerclops’s attention was caught the moment it finally stopped. He jolted up a bit, looking over towards Mao Mao on the bed.

“Oh. Hey.” Badgerclops’s eye opened as he locked eyes with Mao Mao. As best he could while the cat was avoiding eye contact, anyway. Those typically fiery green eyes still seemed a little dull, with tears poking out at the corners. It was always a hard sight to see. “You feelin’ okay?”

A sniff and a nod was the only response he got, with Mao Mao using a gloved hand to wipe at his misty eyes. He’d finally released his death grip on the plush, letting it sit to his side. Badgerclops reached up to smooth out some of the fur on his face, a shudder running up through Mao Mao in response. Not a bad one, though. Just one from getting reaccustomed to touch.

The hurt was obviously still fresh. It made navigating things a bit of an endeavor for Badgerclops, but one he was committed to nonetheless. “Can I…?”

His spread arms made it apparent enough to Mao Mao just what he was suggesting. A hug.

Yes. He felt okay enough for that. That sounded good. Yes.

Getting a second nod, Badgerclops adjusted himself to move off the floor and onto the bed. He didn’t get a chance to actually do so before he felt Mao Mao rushing into his arms, right there on the floor. He wasn’t of a mind to complain though. This was just fine. He silently wrapped his arms around Mao Mao, telling him all the things he needed to hear without words.

It’s okay.

You’re safe.

I love you.

Somehow, just like every other time this happened, Mao Mao was surprised. Pleasantly surprised by the ways Badgerclops could always bring him back. Already he was feeling more like a person again. Less like stress and fear. It was better.

“I’m sorry.” He pulled back just enough to pull his face out of Badgerclop’s chest, wanting to make sure he was heard. His voice was still a little strained from his shouting and sobbing, but it was rewarding to have finally found his ability to speak instead of yell or weep.

“Nah, man. It was all me. I should’ve listened to you.”

“It just…it felt like you wouldn’t listen.” It was a common trigger of his. To not be considered. To be condescended to. To be ignored. One of his most hated feelings. All he ever wanted was to be heard and respected. 

Being ignored was too familiar, too close to home. “It felt like my family, never knowing I was there.”

Oof. Yeah, Badgerclops definitely should have thought about that in the moment. He definitely wasn’t feeling like a worthwhile contender for any Boyfriend of the Year awards at the moment. Still, he wouldn’t get any points throwing himself a pity party. All he could do now was try to be better.

“Aw man, Adorabat and I would never think that way about you. You know we love you.”

Yep. No matter how tough things get, Mao Mao could always reliably take comfort in that fact. He probably wouldn’t ever stop worrying about what family thought, but he could take comfort in not having to worry about what his found family though. He already knew they saw him.

“Thank you.” The heat on Mao Mao’s cheeks returned, but it wasn;t nearly as overwhelming this time. Now, it was just right. “I, uh...”

The cat coughed a bit as he looked away, cheeks glowing an apple red now. “I love you, Badgerclops.”

“Haaaah, you’re smiling! You’re adorable!’

“N-no! I’m neither of those things!” Mao Mao finally pulled away, smiling in spite of his claim. It would’ve been far past difficult for him to try and keep up the facade at this point. It was alright, though. He was feeling a lot less combative at this point. He hesitated for a moment, before leaning in close to Badgerclops, placing a quick peck on his lips.

It was a surprise, but far from an unwelcome one. Badgerclops’s eye widened a bit before he began to giggle, pulling Mao Mao close again. The cat gave a slight groan as he was pulled into the hug, putting up only the most token of resistance. No matter how much he talked, Mao Mao could only protest so much.

“Oh, hey! Adorabat’s probably got a card for you by now! C’mon, let’s go look. I know you love that sappy stuff!” 

Mao Mao sighed as he let Badgerclops drag them both up to their feet. For as long as he was here, his bad days wouldn’t ever be quite so bad. He’d always be grateful for that.


End file.
